Shoe construction



oct. 29, 1940. E, LEN UAL 2,219,464

SHOE CONSTRUCTION Y Filed Dec. 20, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Frank 'AI Ien George Clousng A TTORNYS.

INVETORS.

Oct. 29, 1.940. l vF, ALLEN Er AL I 2,219,464

SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed Dee. 2o, l1937 2 sheets-sneeze INVENTORS.v Frank Allen G eorge Clausing A TTORN E YS.

Patented Oct. 29, 1940 Unirse' srarss SHO-E CONSTRUCTION Frank Allen and Georg Ohio, assignors to Vulcan C'o mouth, Ohio Application December 20, 1937, Serial No. 180,75

8 Claims.

This invention lrelates to articles of foot wear, especially those of the type having` high heels, and is concerned more particularly with a high heel shoe containing novel features of construction which make the shoe strong` and durable and enable it to retain its original attractive appearance indefinitely. The new shoe is superior to similar shoes, as heretofore made, in that the attachment of the heel is effected by novel means which insures a rm connection between the shoe and heel, and prevents the heel from being loosened and from kicking under. In addition, the construction of the shoe is such that the heel may be quickly and accurately fitted to the outsole and secured in place by a novel method which also forms part of the invention.

In womens shoes having high heels of the present type, the attachment of the heel to the shoe presents a serious problem, quite different from that involved in the case of alow heel, In a low heel shoe, the tread surface of the heel has a relatively large area, which ordinarily stabilizes the weight of the wearer, so that the connection between the heel and shoe is not subjected to stresses which are ordinarily effective to separate the two. With a high heel shoe, the area of the tread face of the heel is much smaller and any unevenness or irregularity in the surface walked on is liable to throw the wearer ofi balance. Durling this period of instability, the weight of the wearer is applied at an angle to the axis of the heel and, in addition, the eiort of the leg and ankle muscles in regaining balance is transmitted through the shoe to the heel. The forces thus applied act through the connection between the heel and shoe in such a way as to tend to effect their separation, and while the shoe is in use, these severe forces act almost continually.' Accordingly, if the connection between the heel and shoe is not of great initial strength, it will become gradually weakened and the heel will be loosened and, in extreme cases, Wholly detached. Such loosening of the heel is objectionable for' various reasons, important ones of which are that the loosened heel is unsightly, makes walking diicult, and becomes increasingly looser until complete detachment occurs.

The method of attaching a heel to a shoe now commonly employed involves driving nails or screws through the heel portions of the shoe into the heel seat of the heel. In a high heel of the type now in vogue, the contour of the back surface of the heel is such that nails or screws of substantial length may notl be used at the rear upper edge of the heel seat since they would proe Clausing, Portsmouth,

rporation, Portstrude through the back surface. As a result, the rear upper edge of the heel is not and can not be firmly secured in place by such means of attachment, and accordingly, in shoes of this type as commonly made, there are no effective means by which the rear upper edge of the heel may be prevented from pulling away from the shoe. This part of the heel yis urged away from the shoe by the tendency ofthe top lift end of the heel tov tip forward as a result of the forces applied to lo the heel as the' person walks and the repeated stresses to which the heel is subjected loosen the joint between the heel and shoe as now made, and cause ,an unsightly gap between the rear edge of the heel and shoe.

A further disadvantage resulting from the means commonly employed for attaching heels to shoes is that in the loosening` of the heel in the manner above described, the inner sole of the shoe is likely to become permanently distorted 20 with the result that there is avcomplete maladjustment of the shoe to the oot.

In the attachment of a heel to a shoe bythe usual method, the fitting of the heel seat to the outsole is an expensive and critical operation. 25 Ordinarily, the heel end of the outsole is shaped to conform substantially to the area of the heel bounded by the inturned edges of the shoe upper, and at its forward end, the shaped portion of the sole must be `accurately tted to the seat of 30 the heel at the upper corners of the breast face of the latter, in order that the shoe may have an attractive appearance. As a consequence, the tting of the heel seat and outsole requires much time and skill and the cost of the operation is an 35 important item.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a high heel shoe in which novel means are employed for attaching the heel, and by the use of the attaching means in accordance with the method of the invention, a shoe is produced in` which the heel is more firmly secured in place than has heretofore been possible, and the cost of making the attachment is substantially reduced.

In the new shoe, the outsole does not extend rearwardly so as to cover the entire heel seat area, but preferably terminatesV a short distance' to the rear of the breast face'ofthe heel, the portion of the sole to the rear of the breast face be- 50 ing seated in a channel cut in the heel along the linewhere the heel seat and breast face would normally intersect, This channel is of' such a shape that it receives the rear end of the sole snugly, but concealsthe portion of the sole lying 55 within it, when the shoe is viewed from the side. The use of the channel in itself effects substantial economies in manufacture and improves the construction of the shoe. Also, by terminating the outsole at a point forward of the rear edge of the heel seat, a novel means for securing the heel and shoe together at the upper rear edge of the heel may be conveniently used.

The securing means referred to takes the form of a metal fastener which is attached to the surface of the heel seat in any suitable way. Preferably, the fastener has a portion which lies within a slot in the heel seat and is held in place therein by nails or screws. At its rear end, the fastener extends upwardly away from the heel seat and then rearwardly generally parallel thereto, and the rear end of the fastener is bifurcated. In attaching the heel to the shoe, the bifurcated end of the fastener is passed between the inner sole and the inturned edges of the upper and counter, and after the heel has been secured in place elsewhere by the usual means, the fastener completes the attachment at the upper rear edge of the heel. The manner in which the fastener is employed may vary, but in all instances the use of the fastener, together with the channel at the front upper edge of the heel, produces a firm connection which prevents detachment of the heel from the shoe under the conditions above described.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a view, partly in section, showing the rear portion of one form of the new shoe;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the heel used in the shoe shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the heel portion of the shoe before the heel is applied, showing the use of a special tool for facilitating the attachment of the heel;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, with parts broken away;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the heel portion of the shoe before the heel is applied, showing a staple for securing the fastening element of the heel to the upper;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line B-G in Fig. 5, with parts of the shoe broken away;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another form of the heel;

Fig. 8 is a View, partly in section, showing the rear portion of another form of the new shoe;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the fastening element for the heel shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. l is a view, partly in section, showing the heel illustrated in Fig. 7 attached to the upper;

Fig. 11 is a perspective View of still another form of the heel;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of still another form of the heel, with the lower part broken away, and

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the rear portion of a shoe insole, showing its bottom face recessed to accommodate the heel fastening element.

In producing the new shoe in accordance with the method of the invention, the upper 2l), counter 2i, upper lining 22, and insole 23 are formed, assembled, and lasted in the usual manner, the lower edge portions of the upper, counter, and upper lining being turned in over the edge of the insole and secured thereto by the usual lasting tacks 24. Thereafter, the outsole 25 is attached to the upper structure in any suitable way to overlie the inturned portions referred to, but the outsole used in the new shoe differs from the ordinary outsole in that it is considerably shorter and extends only part way to the rear edge of the upper structure.

When the outsole has been applied, the shoe is in condition for the attachment of the heel. The heel 26, which is used, may be of wood or other suitable material, and has a breast face 2l, side and back surfaces 23, 29, respectively, and a top lift end 30 of any suitable shape. The heel seat 3| of the heel is concave, as is usual, but throughout the major portion of the heel seat, the concavity is relatively slight and considerably less than that ordinarily employed. At the edge where the heel seat normally intersects the breast face, the heel is provided with a transverse channel or step 32 which is to receive the rear end 33 of the outsole. This step preferably has a concave bottom 34 with the greatest depth at the middle of the heel and the bottom curves upwardly at each 4end so that the step terminates substantially at the side surfaces 28 of the heel. To facilitate the tting of the rear end 33 of the outsole in the step 32, the latter may be formed so that it terminates at the intersection of the heel seat and the side surfaces, whereby the side edges of the rear portion of the outsole need not be cut away. Forming the step in this manner, however, requires delicate and accurate forming operations to terminate the step exactly at the intersection referred to and, therefore, in practice the step may be made to terminate slightly inwardly from the side surfaces of the heel, as shown, and the rear end of the outsole cut accordingly.

In addition to the features described, the heel is provided with a metallic attaching member 35 which may be of steel or other suitable stiff material, and this member is provided with a foot 36 attached to the heel seat and preferably received in a channel 31 in the heel seat and secured in place by nails 38 driven into the heel. The rear end 39 of the member extends upwardly and rearwardly so as to be in offset relation to the heel seat and terminates in a pair of prongs 4). Preferably, the offset rear end of the attaching member is spaced from the heel seat a distance equal substantially to the thickness of the inturned portions of the upper, counter, and upper lining.

Prior to attaching the heel, the rear end of the outsole is skived off so as to fit the bottom of the step snugly and thereafter the prongs of the attaching means are inserted over the inturned edges of the upper, counter, and upper lining, so that they lie between the latter parts and the insole, the prongs preferably lying on opposite sides of one of the lasting tacks 24. The usual nails 38' are then driven through the insole into the body of the heel and the attachment is completed. With the heel thus attached, the nails serve as the securing means throughout the major portion of the heel seat and the attaching member holds the rear upper edge of the heel to the shoe so as to prevent loosening of the heel. The attaching member acts upon the counter, and the rear end of the member overlies the inturned edge of the counter throughout substantially the entire width thereof so that the counter is locked between the heel and the member. As the entire rear portion of the shoe is built aboutthe counter, which is relatively rigid, the rear end of the heel is securely through the counter.

Since the bifurcated rear end of the member is to be inserted between inturned portions of the upper structure and the insole, it may be desirable to slightly separate the inturned portions of the shoe upper from the insole, prior to the attachment of the heel to the shoe, to provide space for the reception ofthe end of the attaching member. This may be accomplished by employing a tool 4l which has a bifurcated end similar to that of the attaching member. The end of the tool is inserted between the insole and the inturned portions of the upper structure and then manipulated in a manner to open a slight space therebetween, within which the end of the attaching member may readily be received. If desired, the insole 23 may be bevelled on its` lower face near the back so that the rear end of the attaching member may be more easily inserted between the underturned portion of the shoe structure and the insole. Another desirable method of facilitating the insertion of the prongs of the lattaching member is to form a pair of channels in the under face of the rear portion of the insole as shown at 23 in Fig. 13. Each of the channels is of sufficient width and depth to receive the prongs of the attaching member. This construction not only facilitates the insertion of the prongs, but also insures uniform support for the insole in the region of the bifurcated end of the fastening element, so that the insole presents a perfectly flat upper face at this region.

In some instances,it may be desirable to provide an extra strong connection between the insole and the inturned portions of the upper structure at the place where the end of the attaching member is to be inserted. For this purpose, the inturned portions and the insole are secured together by both lasting tacks and a staple lll, the legs of which are spaced to embrace the end of the attaching member. The inner end of the staple legs are clinched or bent over against the inside of the insole. When the heel is being secured in place, the end of the attaching member then enters between the legs of the staple, the latter providing extra strength at the desired point. If desired, the tool di may be inserted before the heel is attached to open a space between the inturned portions and the insole, as hereinbefore described, to facilitate the insertion of the attaching member therebetween.

In certain types of shoes, the heel is temporarily mounted upon the shoe during the heel attaching operation by means of a screw passed through the last and entering the middle of the heel seat. When this temporary connection is to be employed, the attaching member used is formed with an aperture 43 in that portion which is attached to the heel, and the screw may then pass through the aperture.

In the shoe illustrated in Fig. l, the step 32 is relatively narrow but of such width that the portion of the rear end of the outsole which enters it does not contact with the rear vertical wall. The fitting of the heel is, therefore, greatly simplified, since the heel may be adjusted forwardly or to the rear to the extent necessary to position it accurately, and the adjustment does not require any change in the rear end of the outsole.

In the construction illustrated in Fig.- 1, the portion of the outsole received in the step is held in place merely by being clamped between the bottom of the step andthe under surface oftheinsole. In some instances, it may be desirable, however, to provide additional anchoring means for securing the rear endv of the outsole in place. For this purpose, one or more spikes 44 may be embedded in. the bottom of the step with their pointed ends extending upwardly, and.

in the attachment of the heel, the points of the spikes penetrate the rear portion of the outsole and prevent the latter from moving forwardly away from the step. The same result may be accomplishedby the use of a form of attaching member illustrated in Fig.V ll. This member i5 is similar to the member 35 except that its forward end 4S overlies the step 32 and is provided with upstanding prongs il which penetrate the rear end of the outsole. Instead of using the spikes 4t or an. attaching member similar to -that designated 5, the rear end of the outsole may be secured in position by driving tacks through it and through the insole, as indicated at d, the tacks being clinched in position.

In Fig. 8, there is illustrated an attaching member 49 which serves the same purpose as the member 35, Abut is of somewhat different construction. The member lit, which is preferably made of sheet metal, includes a bifurcated rear end and a stem 5B which is generally tubular and enter a bore iii formed in the heel seat end of the heel. This bore is of such diameter as to receive the stem snugly and is preferably at an angle to the Vertical and generally parallel to the back surface of the heel. The stem 5t isl mounted in the bore to suchdepth that the bifurcated end of the member is properly spaced from the seat of the heel.

The outsole employed in the heel illustrated in Fig. l extends past the breast face of the heel a relatively short distance and the use of such an outsole effects a substantial saving of lea-ther, simplifies the heel fitting operation, and facilitates the use of the attaching member 35. Since the outsole does not lie in contact with the major portion of the surface of the heel seat, the latter may be relatively shallow, as above explained, and the only trimming operation required in tting the heel is that of skiving off the rear end of the outsole to insure its proper conformityto the curvature of the bottom of the step. This trimming operation is relatively simple and can be done accurately by a workman of average skill. When properly done, that portion of the outsole lying upon the step is wholly concealed when the shoe is viewed from the'side, and the shoe, therefore, appears to be of ordinary construction.

While the use of the short outsole shown in the Fig. l construction affords the greatest economy, in some types of shoes it may be desirable to employ an outsole of greater length. In that case, the step is extended rearwardly as much as may be desired as, for example, to the extent shown in Fig. l2, in which the step occupies somewhat more than one-half of the heel seat. When so wide a step is used, the attaching member 53 employed is preferably similar to the member 49, and the stem of the member enters a bore extending into the heel seat to the rear of the step.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the new shoe offersI numerous advantages over those constructed in accordance with the methods heretofore commonly used. lThe heel is held in position more securely, particularly at the rear edge thereof, and loosening and displacement of the heel from its initial position are avoided. Also, substantial economies are eiected, both in material and labor, since the use of the short outsole saves sole leather and also reduces the time and skill required in the fitting of the heel to the shoe. The application of the principles of the invention, therefore, makes possible the production of a superior shoe at a reduced cost.

We claim:

1. A shoe heel having a breast face, contoured back and side surfaces, a heel seat having a recess therein, and a channel formed in the heel seat forward of said recess `and adapted to receive the rear end portion of the outsole of a shoe, and a member secured to th-e heel for attaching the heel to the shoe, said member having a stem received in said recess and a rearwardly extending portion oiset upwardly from the heel seat and lying parallel thereto.

2. A shoe heel having a breast face, contoured back and side surfaces, a heel seat, a bore eX- tending downwardly from the seat into the heel body and having its aXis disposed at an angle to the heel seat, a channel formed in the heel seat forward of said bore and adapted to receive the rear end portion of the outsole of a shoe, and a member secured to the heel for attaching the heel to th-e shoe, said member having a stern received in said bore and a portion oifset upwardly from the heel seat.

3. A method of making a shoe including an upper structure having a counter and an insole, an outsole attached to the upper structure, and a heel having a projection offset upwardly from the rear portion of the heel seat, which comprises forming the upper structure with the counter turn-ed in under the insole, terminating the outsole forward of the rear end of the upper structure, inserting said projection over the edge of the inturned portion of the counter between the counter and insole, and applying supplementary attaching means to secure the forward portion of the heel to the upper structure.

4. A method of making a shoe including an upper structure having a counter and an insole, and a heel having a projection offset upwardly from the rear portion of the heel seat, which cornprises inserting a tool having an end portion similar to the end of said oifset projection, between the insole and the rear portions of the inturned marginal portions of the upper structure, manipulating the tool until an opening is produced between the insole and the marginal portions, removing the tool and inserting said heel projection into the space thus formed, and applying supplemental heel attaching means to fasten the heel securely to the shoe.

5. A method of making a shoe including an upper structure having a counter and an insole, and a heel having a projection oifset upwardly from the rear portion of the heel seat, which comprises forming the upper structure with the counter turned in. under the insole, terminating the outsole forward of the rear end of the upper structure, forming a channel in the seat of the heel at the breast face for receiving the rear end of the outsole and of suiiicient length to provide a clearance between the rear end of the outsole and the opposing end of the channel When the heel is fixed in position, inserting said projection over the edge of the inturned portion of the counter between the counter and insole, fitting the heel to the heel seat of the shoe, and securing the front part of the heel to the upper structure.

6. A shoe comprising an upper structure including an insole and a counter turned in under the insole and connected thereto along its inturned portions, an outsole secured to said upper structure, a heel, and means for securing the heel to the upper structure including a heel attaching member anchor-ed to the heel and having a shoe enga-ging projection extending over the edges of said inturned portion of the counter and disposed between the counter and insole, said insole having the bottom face of its rear portion channeled to receive part of said projection.

7. In a shoe having the usual upper structure outsole and heel, a unitary heel attaching member comprising a downwardly projecting stem rigidly anchored in a recess in the heel, and a iiat shoe engaging projection disposed substantially parallel to and spaced upwardly from the seat of the heel.

8. In a shoe having the usual upper structure, outsole and heel, a heel attaching member comprising a downwardly projecting rod-like stem of substantially uniform size rigidly anchored in a deep recess in the seat of the heel and a flat shoe-engaging projection disposed substantially parallel to and spaced upwardly from the seat of the heel.

FRANK ALLEN. GEORGE CLAUSING. 

